My wife and I were at a car dealership in Tucson looking to buy a soft top Jeep Wrangler circa 1992.
THe dealership advertised a new Wrangler, black in color for $9,995. So naturally we were looking at a red one. $450 more. Salesman comes out, we talk for a few minutes and he points out the black one. Then he says, you could ask me why does it cost more to paint the Jeep red. He takes into his bosses office asking the same question. We get the Red Jeep for the sale price.

 

Good for you, but when I buy a gallon of paint, red costs a LOT more than black.

 

I once looked at a 66 Skylark. It was not a nice car and after a good look I didn't want it. The seller knew it was rough but was asking 2k, which was high at the time. I figured I'd throw out a low number out, he'd decline and I'd be on my way. Just as I said "well I'm thinking.." we hear some tire screeching and we both look up just in time to see a pick up drive across a lawn and right through a tavern wall. I told him I was going to pass...

 

Don't know if this counts but twenty years ago I saw an internet add for a 240sx for $2600 in Oak Brook IL. When I got there it was stickered at $5800. So I told the salesman the internet price, and he went online and checked and saw the add. He went in the bosses office and there was some yelling and he came out and told me I could have it for $2600. I then asked if he could go any lower on the price and received a quite dirty look. I bought the car and it was one of the most fun cars I ever had.

 

 

Having been in the car business for and participated in the advertising of cars both new and used, somewhere within print and internet advertising there is a disclaimer for pricing errors that preclude you from getting a car at a stupidly low misprinted price. They do not have to sell the car for a misprinted price. I call this story BS.

 

Call it what you want, that's what happened.

 

In 1974 a friend of mine, who was quite wealthy, went into HB Oldsmobile in Dallas to buy a new Toronado his wife wanted. He had been working all day and was wearing somewhat casual clothes. HE asked a salesman to show him the cars he wanted and the salesman looked him over and told him where they were located on the lot and he could go out and look. He found the one he wanted and came back in and asked to see the sales manager. Told the sales manager about the car and he was ready to pay cash, but the salesman who first spoke to him would not be in any way be a part of the deal and would not receive any commission or the deal was off.

 

I was selling a 68 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup in about 1999, I had bought it for $400 and put a new edelbrock intake and carb on it and it ran good but I never drove it.

Guy shows up to test drive, starts up great and is running great. It was missing a bracket for the power steering pump. He gets in the driver seat and we take off. He gets to the first turn and speeds up to merge with traffic, and the steering completely locks up turning right and we drive on someone’s lawn. The steering starts working normal and we take off.

We had a good laugh about it and he says no big deal. I told my girlfriend “no way is he buying that truck.” He showed up the next day with I think $800 which is what I was asking.

Maybe not unusual but I thought it was very funny.

 

A good buddy of mine bought a late 80s 240sx back around 2004. A small tree fell on it and smashed the hatch and punched the roof and quarter in a bit. The owner had some insurance troubles and they would not cover it. He bought the car for 250 bucks. His uncle owned a body shop and he was able to fix it for about a grand in parts and he worked the labor off. You'd never accuse the car of being fast but it handled excellent and would bark second gear like a mother.. it was fun to drive.

 

There will and can be thousands of stories on the topic.

Once a car gets to a dealer all bets are off.

My second oldest brother was one exception to the rule. Of course this was I think 1981. He bought his one old lady owner 70 W-31 from a dealer the first day it rolled in. White car. Blue stripes. Blue interior. That car warped me in the Oldsmobile direction since.

Car dealers now could care less. So much bullshit out there anymore. Fools sign up and defend why. Totally different world. 27 thousand dollars for a random 77 Cutlass... Go get it fool. Dealers will screw you out of every penny that they can. So many sign up and say ok right here.

 

In 68 was the year I bought my first Olds. I had no money, so probably should not have bought a new car anyway. But my wife and me would cruise the car lots every weekend, seeing what new cars came in that week. We really need a second car, but had no money. Went to the Olds dealer, and they had a pretty nice 56 4door Chevy, no price on the window. Thinking they will want more than I have, but would se what they wanted. Go and find the sales guy that sold me my 68. He said that car just came in, and thought it needed tran work, and it was a little older, that what they like in their lot, and said not sure what the price, but would check. He comes back, and said owner said make a offer. If I remember, $300-500 was the going price for a running car, and$75 to $200, for car that needed work. I said I would give $50 bucks, he looked at me funny, and said,well, I will go ask, but don't think it will fly. He comes back, and said we have a deal, owner wanted it off the lot. Drove it home in low gear. Went to the gas station, and bough some tran additive, drove it around four a couple day, and all of a sudden it shifted. Worked and drove a couple months, and then the torque converter went out. That was my car bargain.

 

When I bought my 64 98 in the fall of 2000 the previous owner had been using it to haul brush around his rural property. When I test drove it one of the rear tires blew out. I told the guy I'd buy it if he bought 2 new tires. He did and I think I paid $1000 for it.

 

I was selling my Land Cruiser, lots of interest ,took lots of time, this Dude and I did the dance for over an hour, Finally came to a price, I agreed on a price as low as I was going. Now is the time for paper work and shake hands... He had no money, just wanted to see how low I would go.

 

Before I was old enough to drive, I would ride my bike all over town. I was really into cars as a kid and really wanted to buy a Mustang when I was old enough to drive. I started mowing lawns at 12 and working in a grocery store at 14 to save up for a car.

Sometime before I turned 15, I rode my bike over to my best friend's house and saw this cool red convertible for sale about a block away from him. I was still too young to try to buy the car, so I did not even get the number off of the sign.

Six to nine months later when I had my permit, I was serious about buying a car, but every Mustang I wanted was too expensive. Then I saw an ad for a target red 1966 Olds 4-4-2 convertible for sale in a town about 3 hours away. I called the guy and arranged to see it. I fell in love with it, and we bought it on the spot.

A few days later when I was cleaning out the glove compartment, I ran across paperwork from several previous owners, and it turns out that my car was the exact car I had seen near my best friend's house months before. The guy I bought it from had bought it from a guy in my hometown.

 

Wow what a dick. I didn't know that happened. What a punk move. I bet you were pissed. I remember you selling that car. Glad it worked out in the end.

 

What an SOB!!!!!

 

Land Cruiser sold pretty fast, it was a good deal for who ever ended up with it. Guy came from Santa cruse to buy it, about 200 miles. You see the results of its sale driving around in the Money Pit. Both parties were happy...Tedd